Cellular Phone Accessories

Written by Helen Glenn Court

Among the oldest cellular phone accessories are cases, belt clips, supplementary antenna, and car lighter rechargers. The most important of these, of course, is the recharger. Cellular phones are powered by battery. Battery life is measured in talk time and standby time, maybe as much as 150 to 200 hours of talk time and about 200 hours of standby. A recharger, except in the case of the throw-away cellular phone models (a slender minority), is mandatory.

The second most important of cellular phone accessories is the hands-free headset. Wireless phones have become as ubiquitous as automobiles in this country. Americans drive a lot, they always have. They drive everywhere all the time. They used to listen to the radio. Now they talk on cell phones. Because of this states are beginning to enact bans on the use of cell phones without a hands-free headset. Washington DC has already done so.

Style, of course, and high technology are integral to both cellular phones and cellular phone accessories. In the old days style meant a replaceable faceplate. Today it means an interesting combination of form and function--from flip phones to integral camera to computer interface. This translates to removable Flash media cards, USB ports, and memory sticks, among others.

Shopping for Cellular Phone Accessories

It was all too easy five years ago to drop $75 on a nifty little hands-free Samsung headset only to find it didn't work on your Nokia phone. This kind of problem is less common today. USB is a wonderful standard that needs, as it were, no visa to cross product and operating system lines. The same is true of many airline and cigarette lighter rechargers. You'll find these at your local CompUSA, Radio Shack, and Best Buy memory sticks, however, they tend to be tailored, like headsets, to specific manufacturers and models or model groups. You'll want to buy these from the same place you get your phone.